Whipstaff Manor
The Gaudi inspired estate–Whipstaff Manor–is the home of Casper and his three uncles, Stretch, Stinkie and Fatso.
Director Brad Silberling wanted something unusual for the design of Whipstaff Manor for this movie. He wanted to come up with something interesting and different. Production Designer Leslie Dilley suggested up front that they should go with a house that's not the stereotypical haunted house, which is usually Victorian. He offered up a different style of architecture–Gaudiesque. 1.
Antoni Gaudí is one of the outstanding figures of Catalan culture and international architecture. He was born in Baix Camp (Reus, Riudoms), but it was in Barcelona that he studied, worked and lived with his family. It is also in the city that we find most of his work. He was first and foremost an architect, but he also designed furniture and objects and worked in town planning and landscaping, amongst other disciplines. In all those fields he developed a highly expressive language of his own and created a body of work that speaks directly to the senses. 2.
The inspiring imagination of Antoni Gaudí undoubtedly reveals itself in one of his most poetic and artistic designs for a building, Casa Batlló, in Barcelona, Spain. His synthesis of animal shapes, vine-like curves, hints of bone and skeleton, and his use of lustrous colored bits of glazed ceramic and glass create a masterpiece that will forever astonish its observers. 3.
©Ignasi de Solá-Morales
©Ignasi de Solá-Morales
Revered by artists around the world, the work of Antoni Gaudí continues to inspire, both in Spain and beyond.
Universal Studios Hollywood Stage 12 housed the spectacular Whipstaff Manor.
© theStudioTour.com
To complete the upper floors of the exterior of the manor, and some of the background, matte paintings were created.
I wish I had more information about the stage set; i.e. How long did it take to build?
I hope to add more to this page as I come across more information about the Whipstaff Manor stage set. There must have been periodicals and articles published at the time, (1995), revealing more than was shared on the "Casper" DVD Special Feature, Revealing Casper.
So, until then ...
Sources:
1. Universal Picture's Casper (Widescreen Special Edition) DVD special features.
Further Related Links
Barcelona: Casa Batllo (More images of Casa Batlló, in Barcelona, Spain from Chowtimes.com)